Ditching machine



May 2l, 1929. c. L. GEORGE DITCHING MACHINE Filed Dec. Z50, 1927 o 33oo' gwuenoz @bu-u Y @AHM A Patented May 2l, 122929.

UNITEDSTATES CHARLES PATENT orifice.v

L. GEORGE, 10F FINDLAY, OHIO, ASSIGNORTO THE BUCKEYE TBLACTION DITCHERCO.,` OF IEINDLAY,r OHIO, A CORPORATION F OHIO.

Y .DITCHING MACHINE. l

' application med December 30, 1927. serial :ramasse This inventionrelates toV a ditching-machine, with special reference Vto the ycuttingwheel and the means for driving'thesame.

In machines of the type to which my -1nvention relates, the cutting anddigging members Iare carried by two wheel rims` broken, or whenassembling anew machine,`

i ditliculty has been experienced in obtaining the proper relationbetween them in order that there may be no binding action and 1n orderthat thedri've mayJbe equalv at oppo-I site sides of the wheel.

equal driving relations between the two rims and the power shaft. Y I

The specific construction of the invention, in its present embodiment,together with the advantages resulting therefrom, will be moreparticularly described withreference to the accompanying drawing, inwhichof a ditching machine'to which the invention is applied.

Fig. 2 is a sectional view'taken substantially on the line 2*, 2 ofFig.-1. 'l V Fig. 3 is a detailview of one of the driving gears and themeans for mounting the same. e Y

The invention is illustrated in connection with a ditching machinehaving a frame 5 on which is a revolubly mounted cutting wheel havingoppositely disposed rims 7. Secured to'these rims are annular strips 8to which the cutting and digging members 9 are secured. Each rim 7revolves on idle rolls 10, one ofk which isshown in Fig. 1. Associatedwith each ,rim isla driving. gear 11 meshing with cogs 12 lcarried bythe rim. The driving gear is secured to a sleeve 13 mounted in a journalbox 14 at the side of the frame 5. The driving sleeve 13 is providedwith anges 15 and 16 at opposite sides of the journal box.

The inner portion of each sleeve 13 is noncircular in cross section,preferably square as shown in Figure 3, and 'is formedr with a The meansfor driving these rimsv The object of the present invention is toovercome the vabove mentioned difficultiesy and to obtain yfreelyoperable, uniform Yand,

Figure 1 is avside'elevation of a portionV number of peripheralchannels'17 infone of which al split collar 18 is mounted, Athis collarbeing bolted to' the'l driving gear 11. Thus the drivlng gear is securedon the noncircuf larv portion of the shaft and held'against movementlongitudinally thereof while the several channelsfl? permit the gear tovbef.

adjusted for cutting wheels of different width.

Each sleeve 4'13 isy drivenfby a sprocket',l

wheel 19 mounted on the'outer end thereof and bolted to the flange 15. Abeveled gear 20 is also bolted to the flange and, through the medium ofgearing 23, is adapted to drive a conveyor for carrying away thematerialwhich is removed from the ditch by y the cutting wheel. 1A shaft21 ismounted in the sleeves 13 and 'holds the sameinfaline-L ment, theshaft being retained by heads 22V secured 'to opposite vends thereof.

The

sprocket wheels 19`are driven by sprocketf chains 24 from sprocketwheelsf25 and Y26 respectively, mounted on a countershaft 27.

One of the sprocket wheels, as 2.5i, is keyed to the counter shaft 27while the other, as 26, vis held by a retaining'washer 2K8 on Ythe shaft27Vand in toothed engagementV with Ia sleeve 29 lwhich is rotatably'mounted on the shaft. *Theshaft 27 andL sleeve 29,vv and consequentlythe sprocket wheels 25 and `26, are

differentially driven by differential gearing 30 which has a ring gear31 driven bya sprocket chain 32 from Ythemrnain power shaft 33. j

j From the foregoingA description it will be seen that the sprocketwheels 25 and2G, and

consequently the driving gears 11, arediferentially driven, thuspermitting the gears 11 to adjust themselves automatically to they cogsyl2 onthe vrims ofthe cutting wheel. This compensates for anyinequalities in the rims, preventsr any binding action kdue vto unequalwear ori unequalstraln and insures a smooth and uniform' drive under.all conditlons.

vWhile I have shownfand described the invention as applied only 'to onespecific type of ditching machine it is to be understood that theinvention is not limited to this specific construction but may bereadily modified for usein connectionv with various other types ofconstruction.

IVhat I claim is:

1.l In a ditching machine, a cutting wheel,

having two laterally spaced annularlytoothed lil members, a drive gearinmesh With each toothed member, said gears being relatively rotatable,and differential driving means for said gears. Y i

2. In a ditching machine, a cutting Wheel comprising peripherallydisposed ditching members and opposed annularly toothed members on whichthe ditching members are secured, drivegears meshing With the respectivetoothed members, said gears being relatively rotatable, A anddifferential means for driving vsaid gears.

Y 3. In a ditching machine, a frame," a eut-` tingwheel mounted therein,eppositely disposed rims secured tothe side edges of the wheel, a pairof .gears in driving relation te the respective rims, a pair ofrotatable members on Which the respetcive driving gears are removablysecured, and differential means for driving said rotatable members.

,4. In a ditching machine, a cutting Wheel having oppositely disposedrims secured to the side edges thereof, tWo axially alined rotatablemembers independently mounted andgeared tothe respective rims, `anddifferential means for driving said rotatable members. y

In a ditching machine, a cutting Wheel having oppositely disposed rimssecured to the side edges thereof, a shaft parallel to the axis of therims, a pair of sleeves mounted for independent rotation on said shaft,

gearing connecting theV sleeves individually to the respective rims, anddifferentialmea-ns p for rotating said sleeves.

6. In a ditching machine, a frame, a cutting Wheel mounted therein,oppositely disposed rims secured to the side edges of the Wheel, a pairof axially alined sleeves journaled in said frame, a shaft mounted insaid sleeves, the sleeves being rotatable With respect to the shaft,each sleeve having a noncircular portion on which a gear is secured,each gear having an independent driving relation to the correspondingrim, difieren.l

tial gearing, and operative connections from said differential gearingto the respective sleeves.

7. In a ditching machine, a frame, a cutting Wheel mounted therein,oppositely disposed rims secured to the side edges of the Wheel, a pairof axially alined members in dependently journaled in the frame and eachhaving a noncircular portion, `gears mounted on the noncireular portionsand in driving relation to the respective rims, means for securing saidgears against movement lengthwise of said noncircular portions, saidmeans being adjustable .to accommodate the gears to cutting Wheels ofdifferent Widths, and differential means for driving saidaxially alinedmembers.

8. In'a ditching machine, a frame, a cutting Wheel mounted therein,oppositely disposed rims secured to the side edges of the Wheel, ashaft, a pair of sleeves in Vwhich the shaft is mounted, Vsaid sleevesbeing independently journaled in the frame, each sleeve havinganoncire'ular portion, a gear mounted on said noncireular portion'and indriving relation to the corresponding rim, a split collar removablysecured to the gear, said sleeve having a number of peripheral channelsin which the collar may be selecvively mounted so that the gears may beadjusted toward or 1aivay from each other to accommodate them to cuttingWheels of different ividths, and differential means for drivingsaidsleeves.

9. In a ditching machine, a cutting Wheel iaving oppositely7 disposedrims secured te the side edges'thereoha shaft parallel to the axis ofthe rims, a pair of sleeves mounted Y for independentrotation on saidshaft, gearing connecting the sleeves individually te the respectingrims, each of said sleeveshaving a peripheral flange near one end vvitha gear bolted to said flange, anddifferential means for driving the lastmentioned gears.

10. vIn a ditching maehinea frame,y a cut ting Wheel mounted thereon,oppositely disposed rims secured to the side edges of the Wheel, ashaft, apair of sleeves in which said Vshaft is mounted, said sleevesbeing independently journaled in the frame, each sleeve having anoncircular portion with a gear mounted thereon and in driving relationto the corresponding rim,r a split collar removably secured to each ofsaid gears,

Veach sleeve Ahaving a number ofperipheral channels in Which thecollarmay be selectively mounted so thatthe gears may be adjusted toward oraway from each other to accommodate them to cutting Wheels of differentWidths, each sleeve having a peripheral flange near its outer end, gearsbolted to the respective flanges, and Vdifferential means for drivingsaid last mentioned gears. In testimony whereof, I have hereunto signedmy name to this specification.

eHARLns L. Geenen.

